SAUL,  A  MYSTERY. 

4  •"•••• 


^^&f'' 


SAUL, 


A  MYSTERY 


An  Evil  Spirit  from  the  Lord  troubled  him. 


Co*e> 


THE  AUTHOR  OF  "  CHRISTIAN  BALLADS,"    "ATHANASION/ 
ETC.  ETC.  ETC. 


NEW   YORK: 
D.  APPLETON  &  CO.,  200  BROADWAY. 

HARTFORD: 
H.  S.  PARSONS,  6  CENTRAL  ROW. 

1845. 


f  \\ 

— >  -» 


; 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1845,  by 

H.  S,  PARSONS, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District   Court  of  Connecticut. 


EPISTLE, 


T  O 

JOHN  JAY,   ESQ., 

BEDFORD. 

MY  DEAR  JAY, 

You  are  too  familiar  with  the  wonderful  histories  of 
Holy  Writ,  to  need  any  intimation  that  the  subject  of 
the  Mystery  which  I  dedicate  to  you,  is  one  of  the  most 
interesting  which  the  older  Scriptures  present.  The 
character  of  Saul  appears  to  me,  to  combine  those  attri 
butes  in  which  the  Tragic  Muse  has  heretofore  found 
her  noblest  material.  Magnificent  as  Prometheus,  he 
is  yet  wretched  as  CEdipus,  and  wicked  as  Macbeth. 
1  was  aware,  therefore,  from  the  beginning,  how  diffi 
cult. it  would  be  to  do  justice  to  my  great  theme;  but 
experience  has  convinced  me  that  the  greatest  difficul 
ties  attending  it  were  of  a  class  not  foreseen,  and  of 
which,  as  others  may  not  suspect  it,  I  am  desirous  of 
reminding  you. 

I  was  led  to  choose  a  sacred  subject,   from  a  convic 
tion   that    such    are    the   most     noble,  and  the   least 
1* 


VI 


appreciated  ;  and  from  a  mysterious  and  almost  roman 
tic  love  of  the  very  geography  of  the  Holy  Land,  co 
existing  with  a  deep  desire  to  recommend  the  study 
of  sacred  lore,  in  preference  of  the-wom-out  fables  of 
classic  Mythology.  The  finest  dramatic  hero  of  Holy 
Scripture,  seemed  to  me,  moreover,  to  have  been  singu 
larly  overlooked ;  and  the  endeavour  to  inspire  others 
with  the  deep  and  awful  interest  which  always  moved 
my  spirit  at  the  name  of  Palestine,  or  the  mention  of 
Saul  and  David,  appeared  to  be  a  work,  on  which  I 
might  ask  and  expect  the  blessing  of  the  GOD  of  my 
youth.  But  I  did  not  apprehend  the  straits,  within 
which  my  high  estimate  of  my  undertaking  would  ne 
cessarily  hedge  me ;  nor  the  scruples  which  a  deeper 
inspection  of  the  blessed  Scriptures  would  excite,  as  to 
the  lawfulness  of  employing  its  narrations  as  material 
for  plastic  fancy.  I  was  familiar,  it  is  true,  with  the 
delicate  sensibility  of  Racine,  expressed  in  the  preface 
to  his  Esther ;  but  I  am  sorry  to  say  that,  at  first, 
the  deep  conscientiousness  which  I  have  since  learned 
to  honour  even  more  than  the  genius  of  its  subject, 
struck  me  as  morbid,  if  not  weak.  The  historical 
books  of  Scripture  are  indeed  the  least  objectionable 
ground-work  for  fictitious  illustration ;  and  the  unin 
spired  narrations  of  Josephus  may  be  taken  as  a  prov 
idential  intimation  that  sacred  history  has  also  a  place 
in  the  civil  and  social  history  of  the  world  :  but  I  am 
constrained  to  acknowledge  that,  like  Jacob  at  Bethel,  I 
entered  comparatively  lightly  upon  a  field,  in  which  I 
was  soon  brought  to  exclaim,  how  awful  is  this  place. 
Even  the  least  interesting  portions  of  Holy  Writ,  have 


Vll 


convinced  me  that  they  came  in  no  sense,  "  by  the  will 
of  man."  The  characters  they  set  before  us  are  the 
speculative  creations  of  no  superficial  judgment ;  they 
are,  as  it  were,  transcripts  from  the  great  books  that 
:  shall  be  opened  at  the  Last  Day  ;  The  HOLY  SPIRIT 
{  has  revealed  them,  for  example  and  warning,  to  all  suc- 
:  ceeding  generations  of  men  ;  and  with  their  story,  we 
!  ourselves  are  in  some  way  mysteriously  concerned. 

A  deepening  sense  of  this  great  truth  has  fettered  and 
restrained  me  in  writing.  Passages,  which  I  approved 
as  an  artist,  I  have  been  forced  to  prune  away,  as  a 
Christian.  And  thus,  though  I  present  you  with  the 
work  completed,  I  do  not  pretend  that  it  is  finished  ; 
and  if,  for  allowing  it  to  go  forth  as  it  is,  I  shall  be 
thought,  by  good  men,  to  have  erred  in  judgment,  I  can 
only  say  that  I  shall  rejoice  in  the  oblivion,  to  which  it 
is  probably  destined. 

As  to  the  propriety  of  treating  sacred  subjects  in 
the  dramatic  form,  I  need  urge  no  other  plea,  than  the 
example  of  so  grave  a  bishop  as  S.  Gregory  Nazian- 
zen,  who  could  employ  this  means  of  setting  forth  no 
less  a  theme  than  "  CHRIST  and  Him  Crucified."  Gro- 
tius,  who  followed  the  venerable  father,  in  a  Latin  Tra 
gedy  with  the  same  high  argument,  has,  in  his  preface, 
expressed  himself  with  great  beauty,  as  to  the  limit 
of  a  poet's  freedom  with  inspired  narrative,  and  the 
revealed  order  of  events  ;  and  although  his  rules  have 
chief  reference  to  the  thrice  holy  ground  of  the  sacred 
Gospels,  I  have  endeavoured  generally  to  regard  them, 
in  dealing  with  the  story  of  Saul.  What  latitude  I 


via 


have  allowed  myself,  has  usually  been  in  accordance 
with  admitted  canons  of  criticism,  or  at  least  such  as 
not  materially  to  affect  the  fact.  The  purely  imagina 
tive  portions  of  the  poem,  will  be  found  symbolical  of 
principles  which  I  deemed  it  important  to  keep  in 
mind ;  and  this  remark  I  make  with  special  allusion  to 
the  part  sustained  in  the  plot  by  the  Ideal  of  an 
evil  spirit.  I  was  not  satisfied,  as  a  mere  dramatist 
would  be,  with  representing  the  apostate  monarch  as  a 
prey  merely  to  his  own  conflicting  passions  :  for  the 
Christian  is  bound  to  believe  that,  like  all  who  trifle 
with  their  election  of  GOD,  he  had  become  the  subject 
of  infernal  excitement  to  sin,  and  to  ruin.  This  fear 
ful  truth  I  have  not  cared  to  explain  away  after  the 
pert  and  conceited  philosophy  of  an  age  that  lacks 
the  greatest  element  of  noble  mind — religious  venera 
tion.  Exhibiting  this  principle  in  the  conception  of 
Merodach,  I  have  also  united  with  it  an  illustration  of 
the  evil  conscience  and  unrepented  sin,  which  gave 
Satan  such  advantage  over  the  soul  of  his  servant.  That 
haunting  of  remorse,  which  the  greatest  of  poets  has  so 
powerfully  pictured  in  theblood-boltered  Banquo,  I  have 
more  feebly  symbolized  in  the  body  of  death,  which  the 
Evil  Spirit  is  represented  as  inhabiting  for  the  purpose 
of  producing,  in  his  victim,  the  deeper  despair.  From 
the  Hadad  of  our  lamented  Hillhouse,  I  perhaps  took 
the  hint  of  such  a  demoniacal  possession  ;  and  though  I 
employ  it  for  a  purpose  so  different  from  his  that  the  ac 
knowledgment  might  not  be  demanded,  I  am  glad  of  the 
opportunity  of  paying  this  passing  tribute  to  a  fine  fan- 


IX 


cy  and  gentle  heart,  of  which  his  country  has  been  so 
prematurely  bereaved. 

I  will  only  add  that  if  I  have  occasionally  preferred 
to  walk  in  other  than  buskin'd  measures,!  have  found  it 
almost  indispensable,  in  varying  a  poem  of  such  length 
and  seriousness.  One  consigned  by  Inspiration  itself 
to  the  laugh  and  scorn,  as  well  as  the  fear  of  men, 
will  be  found  chief  speaker  in  the  groundling  style  :  and 
as  for  the  mere  machines  of  the  action,  I  have  not  scru 
pled  to  let  them  talk,  as  I  suppose  the  rustics  of  all 
lands  have  in  all  ages  been  wont  to  talk.  And  so  I 
leave  you  to  your  own  criticisms,  with  the  intimation, 
that  though  half  the  Horatian  period  of  seasoning  has 
passed  over  my  poem,  between  its  first  sketch,  and  the 
present  date,  you  must  not  expect  a  much  greater  degree 
of  finish,  on  that  account.  During  that  time,  I  have 
been  forced  by  graver  studies  to  leave  it  untouched  for 
years  together  :  and  duties  every  way  of  paramount  im 
portance  have  only  allowed  me  to  make  this  work 
an  occasional  amusement,  while  (to  translate  from 
Grotius)  I  strove  to  vary  the  odd  hours  which  I  was 
able  to  steal  from  severer  occupations  for  the  refresh 
ing  cultivation  of  the  Muse,  in  such  wise  that  even 
they  might  not  be  lost  to  Christian  meditation. 

Remember  sometimes  the  charming  autumnal  eve 
ning  and  the  delightful  retreat,  of  which  my  date  will 
remind  you.  Hither  have  we  often  retired  together 
from  the  noisy  city,  whose  hum  is  musical  when  once  we 
hear  it  across  the  broad  Hudson,  so  mellowed  as  only  to 
tell  us  that  we  have  escaped  its  din  :  and  here  to-day 


you  have  read  the  completed  work,  which  from  the 
first  I  proposed  to  inscribe  with  a  name  dear  to  my 
country  for  his  sake  who  wore  it  once,  and  to  me  for 
his  who  wears  it  now. 

Ever  faithfully  y GUI'S, 

A.  C.  C. 
WEEHAWKEN, 

October  13,  1842. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 

ALTHOUGH  this  Poem  was  announced  as  about  to  be 
published  in  the  fall  of  1842,  it  has  been  withheld  for 
private  reasons,  which  now  no  longer  interfere  with  the 
fulfillment  of  the  author's  obligations  to  those  kind 
friends,  who  have  been  pleased  to  express  an  impatience 
to  see  it  forthcoming.  It  has,  perhaps,  been  benefitted 
by  the  delay. 

ST.  JOHN'S  RECTORY,  HARTFORD, 
February,  1845. 


SAUL, 

DAVID, 

JONATHAN, 

ABNER, 

ABISHAI, 

AMASA, 

AHIMELECH, 

ABIATHAR, 

ZADOK, 

THE  PROPHET  SAMUEL, 


AHINOAM, 

ABIGAIL, 

HEZRO, 

MERODACH, 

DOEG, 

HAG, 

HUNCHBACK, 

COWHERD, 

A  PHILISTINE  CHIEF, 

THE  WITCH  OF  ENDOR, 


HERALDS,  OUTLAWS,  SHEPHERDS,  ETC.  ETC.  ETC. 

The  SCENE  is  chiefly  laid  in  the  hill  country  of  Ju- 
dcea,  and  parts  adjacent  ;  but  changes  in  the  fourth  act 
to  the  mountains  surrounding  the  valley  of  Esdrclon. 


•jj    SAUL,   I 

A   MYSTERY. 


AN    EVIL    SPIRIT    FROM    THE    LORD    TROUBLED    HIM. 


ACT    I. 

SCENE  I.  The  wilderness  near  Gibeali  of  Saul.  A 
high  place,  looking  eastward  over  a  valley.  The 
dawn  slowly  breaking  over  Mount  Nebo  in  the  dis 
tance.  DAVID  worshipping. 

DAVID. 

Now  roll  the  mists  away, 
That  swathed  the  slumbering  world, 

Through  all  the  silent  night. 
The  heavens  are  telling,  Lord, 

Thy  glory  and  thy  power,      STJS 
As  light  goes  forth  into  the  silent  soul, 

Of  meditative  man, 
And  calls  as  with  a  voice  ; 
Waking,  like  echoes  in  its  labyrinths 
2 


